Sunday, July 19, 2015

Aloha to Elizabeth John and JUDGING JOEY

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Elizabeth John, another romance author I met at the NJRW meeting in June. From her bio,

Elizabeth John’s love of reading and writing began in her early childhood and blossomed throughout her teenage years. Her first real job was working in a library, and it was there that the cover of a Gothic romance intrigued her. She read it and has been hooked on romances ever since. Elizabeth has published many newspaper and magazine articles and several short stories. For a few years, she enjoyed writing ceremonial resolutions for her state’s senators and assembly members. When she’s not penning contemporary romances and romantic suspense novels, she’s teaching elementary school children how to read and write. Admittedly, she’s a TV and movie junkie and has noble intentions to practice yoga daily. Her day job, family, and writing life keep her busy! In her spare time, she can be found walking her dogs, sharing a meal with friends, gardening, or relaxing at the beach with her nose in a good book.

Kim: Jersey girl! What is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of New Jersey?

Elizabeth: Oh, I like this question! My favorite place is the Jersey Shore. When I drive down the coast and see the water, my body instantly relaxes. The scent of the salty sea air, the call of the seagulls, the beautiful sailboats floating in the bay, ah, the scene is breathtaking. After the big stock market plunge a few years ago, my husband and I decided to scrape together the rest of our savings and buy a tiny house on the shore. The house hadn’t been updated since the 1970s and aside from electrical and plumbing work, we did most of the renovations ourselves. Our bungalow still needs a lot of work but, believe it or not, this house survived Super Storm Sandy, for which we were so grateful. It’s our little sanctuary.

Kim: You must have been in heaven working in a library! What about the cover of the Gothic romance intrigued you? Do you still read Gothic romances?

Elizabeth: That’s true! I worked as a Page for the New York Public Library in two tiny Staten Island branches. You wouldn’t believe how small! Since I shelved the books, I could instantly tell a patron if the book was in or not. Those intimate neighborhood branches closed down many years ago to open larger ones, but I have fond teenage memories of walking home with my arms aching from the stack of books I had checked out. After a quick hello to my mom, I’d rush to the corner chair in my pink bedroom and start reading. My love for books hasn’t changed, except now I have stacks all over my house!

Now about the Gothic novels. I read every Victoria Holt and Phyllis A. Whitney book I could get my hands on. The covers had a frightened, long-haired woman fleeing from an eerie mansion or ominous castle. My first reaction would always be what is she scared of and why is she running away? The stories were told from the heroine’s point of view, and throughout the story, she would question whether or not she could trust the hero. In my opinion, they were the earliest versions of modern day romantic suspense, which is what I tend to read and write. Today, if I can find a Gothic romance to read, count me in!

Kim: Thank you for serving as an elementary teacher, shaping the minds of future leaders! What have you learned from teaching that you can apply to writing?

Elizabeth: First, I was a writer before becoming a teacher. I think that skill gave me a tremendous advantage when teaching reading and writing. Let’s face it, I love to do both and can’t help but show my enthusiasm for the subjects. On the other hand, writers have to fill their creative wells. As an educator, my day is loaded with material for stories, and as a writer, I love to study people. My mind soaks up bits and pieces like a sponge and stores these observations for possible future use. Not only do teachers have to manage and successfully teach all the different personalities of their students, they have to master the art of diplomacy when dealing with parents, stepparents, grandparents, school staff and administrators. Talk about a list of characters!

Kim: Tell us about JUDGING JOEY - what inspired it?

Elizabeth: Joey, the hero in this story, was a minor, comic relief character in another book I had written, but had yet to publish. I put that book aside with the intention that I may write that novel into a cozy mystery series. However, Joey couldn’t wait and insisted I write him as the hero of his own story. What can I say? Joey was right. He needed to meet someone who would challenge him and see the world differently. Madeline came back into his life at the perfect time.

Kim: What's next for Elizabeth John?

Elizabeth: I’m writing what I’m calling a cozy romantic suspense trilogy. Three sisters inherit the family bridal shop and each one has her own love story, but before they get their happily ever after, they each have to survive a threat against their lives.

Mahalo, Elizabeth, for joining us today! I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,

1. Let's chat about teachers - do you remember your favorite teacher? I had a physics teacher who inspired me consider a career in science. Twenty years later, I enjoyed working with my son on his Physics' projects!

I do remember my favorite teacher, her name was Mrs. Tatum. Everyone thought she was so mean and when my younger brother had her the next year, he would come home crying because she gave out so much homework. I liked her because every time I asked for help...she gave it to me.

She was my homeroom teacher in high school. She also did a lot of business classes. I took a double major in high school of academic/secretarial so I had her for some classes too. But I really got o know her when I was the business manager of our yearbook. She was one of those single teachers who dedicated herself to her job.

It's a toss up between one of my high school History teachers (Mr. Butler) and my English teacher (Mrs Dean) for 2 years in high school. They both made class interesting and fun and managed to surprise a lot of kids when the kids discovered they had been learning. It helped a lot that I loved both subjects. :-)

Dr. Walker was a professor of Biology at the college whiner I went to school. I loved his classes and took every one he taught. I was already a lover of outdoor science and his classes reinforced that and expanded my knowledge.

Oh! So Many favorites. Mrs. MacBeth Comes to mind. She told me I was a writer. That was in the 4th form in St Cyprians School in Capetown, S Africa. I adore her. The in Atlanta in High School, Mrs. O'Neill who taught English and drama. She was an inspiration. I was terrible at Math.

My favorite teacher was Mrs. Bunting, English in my junior year. Her knowledge was deep, her transmission clear, and I was thrilled to get her as my supervising teacher for student teaching. Another favorite was Mr. Farrell, a football coach!, who taught the single most valuable class I ever took--Word Study. You'll notice I choose competence over anything else in teachers. :)

Thanks everyone for the nice comments! Kim, you mentioned your physics teacher. That's so funny because I ran into my high school physics teacher the other day while I was having lunch with a friend at Panera Bread. He had made physics fun for me and I told him so. We chatted a while and after all these years, he still made me laugh!